Should I Visit Tokyo?

A lot of readers who write to us for advice about visiting Japan for concerts are stymied about which cities they should visit in order to see the shows they want to see. A lot of y'all seem to think that Tokyo is your only option.

It's not, folks. Tokyo is very big, very loud and crowded and urban. It has a lot on offer in terms of pop and contemporary culture. It's a great place to eat, shop, and visit museums, and yes, a lot of bands play in Tokyo. However, Tokyo doesn't have much in the way of traditional culture, because the entire city was basically destroyed by firebombing during World War II, so if you want to see temples and old buildings, Tokyo is not the place to visit.

As far as concerts go, while there are a lot of indie bands you can only see in Tokyo, there are plenty of indie bands in other cities, as well. And as for major label artists, a lot of times, they tour nationally, and tickets are usually easier to come by in cities that aren't Tokyo. A whopping 30% of the Japanese population lives in the Tokyo metro area, meaning that it's WAY more crowded in Tokyo than it is anywhere else. People tend to be anxious, stressed, standoffish, and infected with that snobby, competitive, capital-city vibe. People in other cities are often much more relaxed and open, which means that often, concerts outside of Tokyo are more fun. That said, Tokyo does offer opportunities not available anywhere else, and if you're looking for a more pop-culture oriented experience and especially if you don't have a lot of time to travel around the country, the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area can offer a very good value for your money.

What's in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area?

The Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area encompasses a number of cities in addition to Tokyo, all of which host many, many excellent concerts and events. So if you've decided that you definitely want to visit Tokyo and you may not have time to visit other cities, you can actually have access to a whole lot of great concerts if you're willing to travel a little further around the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area than just the Yamanote Line inner circle.

Yokohama
Yokohama has a very different vibe to Tokyo - its wide streets and Western-style brick buildings speak to its past as a port city which has welcomed foreigners since the arrival of Commodore Perry in 1853. Yokohama is famous for its beautiful Minato Mirai waterfront promenade, the elegant architecture of the Yamate district, the Chinatown near Motomachi, and the many wonderful bars and jazz clubs in the Noge area. Yokohama is very definitely a different city from Tokyo. However, it's only about half an hour away by local train. To get to Yokohama from Tokyo, you can take the Tokyu Toyoko Line, the JR Shonan Shinjuku Line, the JR Sobu-Yokosuka Line, the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, and others. How long it takes depends on where you're coming from, where you're going, and whether you take the local train or the express, but in most cases it shouldn't take 45 minutes, or an hour at most. Seeing a concert in Yokohama while you're staying in Tokyo is as easy as seeing a concert in Tokyo.

Kawasaki
Located directly south of Tokyo, Kawasaki is part of Kanagawa prefecture, so administratively speaking, it's a completely separate city from Tokyo. However, due to the long, skinny shape of Tokyo prefecture, most locations in Kawasaki are actually closer to central Tokyo than most locations in West Tokyo. Depending on where in Tokyo you are, Kawasaki Center may be no more than a 15 minute train ride away. Kawasaki is home to a number of live venues, most notably Club Citta', so it's a great place to see a show if you're staying in Tokyo.

Yokosuka
Yokosuka is further down the coast from Yokohama, a historic port city home to the US Naval base and famous for being the hometown of the late great Hideto Matsumoto. It has a history of rock-n-roll culture and a few interesting live spots and record stores, in addition to beautiful ocean views and delicious fish. It's about an hour from central Tokyo on the Keikyu Line rapid express (recommended), or the JR Sobu-Yokosuka Line. If you want to see a concert in Yokosuka while staying in Tokyo, you can do it easily. Yokosuka is also a great place for day trips.

Kamakura
Kamakura is another seaside town, closer to Yokohama than Yokosuka. There are no live houses in Kamakura, but there are a hell of a lot of temples and a very nice beach. If you want to add some traditional culture to your Tokyo j-pop jaunt, a side trip to Kamakura is an easy way to do it. It's about 45 minutes from central Tokyo on the JR Sobu-Yokosuka Line.

Saitama
Saitama is the prefecture north of Tokyo, and it's basically just a barren wasteland of flat fields and shitty suburban towns. However, there are a lot of large concert venues in Saitama, including Saitama Super Arena, Omiya Sonic City, and Kawaguchi Lilia, among others, so if you're staying in Tokyo but you want to see live shows, you might very well want to make the trip up to Saitama to see a band or two. It's only about 30-45 minutes from central Tokyo on the JR Saikyo Line, JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, or JR Takasaki Line. Which line you take and how long it takes depends on where exactly you're going.

Chiba
Chiba is the prefecture east of Tokyo. Chiba City, its capital, is located about an hour by train from central Tokyo, accessible by the JR Sobu Line, the Keisei Line, or the JR Keiyou Line. There are many venues in Chiba City and other smaller cities in between Tokyo and Chiba City, such as Kashiwa and Ichikawa. If you're staying in Tokyo, seeing a concert in one of these cities is as easy as easy as seeing a concert in Tokyo. In addition, Chiba is famous for its surfing beaches, namely Kujikuri. The southern end of the Boso peninsula (the peninsula which Chiba occupies) is a magical rural seaside resort area that feels miles away from civilization, even though it's just a stone's throw from one of the biggest cities in the world. For beach enthusiasts, Chiba is a great destination. But if you hear a tsunami siren, run like hell for higher ground!

Mito
Mito is located in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Chiba. It's not part of the Tokyo Metro area, but sometimes there are live shows by good bands there, and it's still within day-trip travel distance of Tokyo, so if you're a dedicated concert-goer, you might find reason to go here, although there's little in the way of sightseeing in Ibaraki - it's mostly just fields of lotus root and sweet potatoes. To get to Mito, take the Joban Line from Ueno.

Takasaki
Takasaki isn't part of the Tokyo Metro area. It's the capital of Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Saitama. However, it's an easy day trip from Tokyo. It takes about 2.5 hours by local train, but only about half an hour by bullet train, so if you're staying in Tokyo but you want to see Buck-Tick play in Takasaki, you can manage to go and come back in the same day, no problem. If you're taking the bullet train, take the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno stations. If you're taking the local train, take the Takasaki Line from Shibuya, Shinjuku, or Ueno.

Utsunomiya
Utsunomiya isn't part of the Tokyo Metro area, either. It's the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, to the northeast of Saitama. It's about as far by train as Takasaki, making it an easy day trip from Tokyo, especially if you use the bullet train. If you want to see a show in Utsunomiya and get back to Tokyo in the same day, you can. If you're taking the bullet train, take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno stations. If you're taking the local train, take the Utsunomiya Line from Shibuya, Shinjuku, or Ueno. Utsunomiya is famous for its gyoza. Eat up!

Hakone
Hakone is about an hour by express train from central Tokyo on the Odakyu Romancecar Express. It's a little longer by local train, but still doable if you get up early. Hakone is a mountain hot spring resort town with some very interesting transit options, including a cog railway, funicular, and cable car. It is home to Owakudani sulfur springs, a geothermal wonder of the world. It also boasts numerous hiking trails and many very famous hot springs (of course!) Hakone is famous for hydrangeas in June and red maple leaves from late October to November.

Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji and environs is an easy day trip from Tokyo, if you get up early. Even if you don't feel like taking a bus to the fifth station (let alone climbing the mountain), there's the creepy haunted amusement park Fuji Highland, numerous hot spring resorts around Lake Kawaguchi, a number of natural caves, and the famous Suicide Forest. (If you plan to visit the Suicide Forest, be respectful, and read this article before you go. Under no circumstances should you take videos of dead bodies and upload them to YouTube.)

Shizuoka
Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka prefecture. It's a little further away from Tokyo than Utsunomiya or Takasaki, but still an easy day trip, if you take the bullet train. There's not much here by way of sightseeing, but if you want to make the detour for a concert, it's doable.

Izu
Izu isn't part of the Tokyo Metro area at all, but it's an easy side trip. Izu is a picturesque peninsula jutting off Shizuoka prefecture, southwest of Kanagawa (the prefecture containing Kawasaki, Yokohama and Yokosuka). It's famous for its hot springs, delicious fish, beaches, seasonal flowers and gorgeous rocky sea cliffs. It's a great getaway and if you get up early in the morning, it's an easy day trip from Tokyo. Just take the JR Tokaido Line to Atami, then switch to the Izukyu Line to go as far down the coast as you like. At the tip of the Izu peninsula lies Shimoda, beloved retreat of Japanese literary great Yukio Mishima, so if you're a nerd who loves sleepy fishing towns, you should pay Shimoda a visit for sure. Izu is also host to numerous flower festivals throughout the year, so this is a great destination for garden lovers as well. Izu is one of our favorite parts of Japan. We give it five stars!

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